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We currently live in a small town in Minnesota. My husband is up for a promotion, that would have us moving to Colorado Springs. We would be looking to rent a house, that would be dog friendly. We are volunteer puppy raisers for Leader Dogs for the Blind, and currently have a puppy that we are training.

Our son is in 2nd grade, so we need some advice on a nice area to rent in, that isn't too expensive, that also has great schools. Something that has the same age kids in the neighborhood.

We would need a school that has a TAG program. Our current school district has nothing to offer in the TAG department, so that would be one benefit of moving.

Also, our son plays hockey, so what is the local sports scene like for kids? The hockey team he is on now is more about learning, than playing games. So the kids have a lot of fun, and it's not competitive.

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The only input I've got on that is, if availability of music programs is important to you, look at schools that feed into Eagleview Middle School. Other middle schools in D20 don't have orchestra, not sure about band. But it's nice to have those choices. The arts were important to me, so I was really looking at that. D11 also has some good programs that start in middle school, and in that district you have everything from great schools to crummy ones, but the ones further north nearer to D20 would probably be better, as will the ones on the west side.

Also, I'd set down on paper some of your wants and needs for schools, and then actually call up the schools' district office and ask questions. I did that and they were friendly and helpful. For instance, I don't know about hockey as a program offered by elementary schools...I think you'd be best off asking someone who works for the district, over the phone. They could at least put you in touch with some kind of a director of sports activities, or tell you who to call. I know what it is to choose where you live based mostly on factors in the local schools. While there is school choice here, if you choose a school out of your area, you have to transport your child, and some schools might have waiting lists or availability issues. Best to just choose a system you're happy with and park yourself within its boundaries.

This area is dog friendly, however I have seen property management for rental houses set restrictions on "aggressive breeds" and it is common to have to pay a pet deposit or similar.

Thank you everyone for commenting! We will have to decide what our deal breakers are for picking a school, and go from there. Hockey offered as part of elementary school isn't necessary, would just want that option outside of school. We wouldn't have to worry about restrictions for our dogs, they are both labs. One is 7 years old (our pet), and the one that is in training to be a guide dog is 4 months old, both very well trained, and maintained. Thank you again!

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